


Connection

by whatthatmouthdo



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 06:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18935068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatthatmouthdo/pseuds/whatthatmouthdo
Summary: POV from Will Byers after season 2, someplace during season 3 mainly focused on Will, Mike & Eleven. I always thought that Will and Eleven would share a connection because of the Upside Down and all that. This series is going to be about that connection and them developing into really good friends. Still going to be lots of Mileven because Mileven is endgame.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave comments if ya want! I'm super excited for season 3 ahhhhh!

As soon as I'm in my room I can't help but let out a sigh. Today was a long day at school and not in a good way. I usually love school especially after all that happened with the Mind Flayer but I can't wait for the summer. Now that I have my mind and body back I just want to play some D&D and hang out with my friends. School really isn't my favorite place and people still think I was possessed by a devil of some sort and treat me like the plague. Summer can't come soon enough.

"Will do you copy?"

I turn to the walkie on my night stand and sigh. 

"Yeah Lucas, what's up?"

"Mike said that were playing D&D tonight. Meet up at the tree at 5."

"Ok, roger that."

I shut off the walkie and excitement immediately hits me. Yes, finally some good D&D time. I smile and start the small amount of homework I have until it's time to leave. 

 

˜

"Hey Will!" Lucas calls out as I approach the tree. Lucas, Max, and Dustin all sit on their bikes and wave to me.

"Hey guys! Thanks for waiting, my mom almost didn't let me out the door." I roll my eyes and they all laugh.

"We're still waiting for Eleven. She's meeting us here too," Dustin says running a hand through his hair. Dustin's hair keeps getting bigger it seems. He still hasn't stopped putting that ridiculous hair spray into his hair. Steve Harrington is brainwashing that kid.

"Oh ok- wait I didn't know she knew how to ride a bike," I say in shock. It has been a couple months since El closed the gate and I haven't seen her all that much. I do know that she really didn't know how to do a lot of basic things. 

Max smiles at me, "Yeah Mike taught her a couple weeks ago. Now that's all she wants to do." 

"Yeah she's crazy. Mike told me that she biked all the way to his house from the police station. Hopper thought that Mike was meeting her in town but El just left and biked to his house!"

I shake my head in disbelief. She really is something else.

"How many miles is that anyway?" Max asks with wide eyes. Lucas shrugs and shudders at the same time.

"I don't even want to think about it." Dustin laughs and I can't help but join in. El is in so many ways a kid still. It's really funny and entertaining. 

All of a sudden, Max's face breaks into a huge smile. "Hey El!!"

Everyone starts yelling out at El and I turn and see her making her way down the street. Her brown hair has grown out and is now at her shoulders. Her curly hair blows in the wind and she wears a huge smile on her face. She waves at us with both hands, guiding her bike with no handlebars. She looks effortless and natural. I wave at her with a grin on my face. Eleven has the ability to make everyone smile without even trying. 

"Wow El! You've gotten pretty good at that!"

"Yeah I can't believe Mike taught you that. I thought you guys would spend all your time kissing and making out-"

"Gross Dustin!" Lucas yells smacking him on the arm. Dustin looks at Lucas in disbelief.

"Are you serious Lucas? What do you and Max do half the time?"

Lucas goes speechless but eventually chokes out, "Uhh-"

"You would know Dustin. You like a good show," Max shoots back with a smirk. Dustin's face goes red and starts arguing with Max.

"That was ONE time Max!!! I forgot to knock-" 

"It was NOT once!"

I laugh and watch as they bicker back and forth. It is true. Dustin went to Lucas's to work on homework and he walked in on Max and Lucas. The story never stops being funny. It will never get old. 

"Hey Will," Eleven says pulling her bike next to mine. Her brown eyes shine and lock with mine. 

"Hey El, nice bike." 

"Thanks!" She looks down at her purple bike with pride. El wears shorts and a t-shirt and the same white converse that she wore the night that she came back and closed the gate. She looks a lot different from that day. She isn't wearing that scary makeup and her hair isn't slicked back like Elvis. I finally saw Eleven the next morning after she closed the gate. Everyone was hanging out at my house the next day and she was sleeping on the couch, the makeup still caked on. She didn't look the way that Mike and everyone else had described her. I remember being a little scared as my mom showed her to me. She looked older than us and just looked unknown to me. Of course, all of that changed once she woke up. Once her brown eyes locked on mine I knew that she wasn't scary or bad at all. I knew that she belonged in our party.

"Are you ready to play D&D?"

I nod with a smile, "Yeah, I feel like it's been forever." Eleven smiles at me and I know that she is just happy to be with the party. She usually doesn't care what we do, as long as we are all together. "How's the cabin," I ask trying to be polite. Eleven is still cooped up in the cabin during the day since she still has to keep a low profile. I can imagine how lonely she gets. I've been there before. Eleven's brown eyes glaze over and she seems to go somewhere else but she quickly comes back to reality. 

Her eyes find mine again, "Not good, but it's better now that I can talk to you guys on the walkie. I'm not alone anymore." She shrugs but gives me a reassuring smile. I nod understandingly. 

"I know what you mean. I've never felt so alone this past year. It wasn't a good year for me." Eleven looks at me with full compassion. The realization that we were both alone and struggling  around the same time. Her eyes are wide and full of emotion and I've only seen this look once before when-

"Hey! Let's go guys! Mike is gonna freak out if were even a little bit late!" Eleven and I break eye contact and Dustin, Lucas, and Max start biking down the street. 

"It's time for some D&D!!" I roll my eyes at Dustin but start pedaling like a madman. 

"C'mon El," Max yells and I look back and see that Eleven is still looking at me. 

"Are you okay El?" My brows furrow together. I didn't mean to upset El or make her sad. Oh geez, Mike is going to kill me if I make Eleven cry. I'm about to bike over to El but she shakes her head and bikes towards me quickly. When she's next to me, she flashes me a small smile but it doesn't reach her eyes. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that...I didn't know you felt that way." 

"It's okay. Besides, you were doing a lot more important things than me." Eleven shakes her head at me.

"Not true. I was being a bad person." 

"No you weren't. You closed the gate. You saved everyone. You saved me." 

"Before that. I went to Chicago. I found the bad men," Eleven says looking straight ahead as I stare in disbelief. Chicago? Did anyone know this? I hadn't heard of this. Mike probably knew because they talked everyday. 

"I had no idea El," I say feeling sorry for her. She really is so much different than anyone. She mainly acts like a kid but right now she looks nothing like one. Her eyes have that faraway look in them again and in this moment she does look older. I know Eleven has seen things that none of us can ever imagine. How can someone like her not feel lonely from time to time? I mean sure, she does have Hopper and Mike and all of us but still. The things that she has gone through and experienced. None of us could ever understand. I know that whenever I'm feeling isolated and apart from everyone, I feel like no one could understand. None of them know what it's like to be cut off and tormented mentally.

"It's okay Will. But uh can you keep that a secret? Only Hop knows that I went to Chicago," Eleven says blushing slightly.

"Yes of course. I won't tell anyone," I swear. 

"Thanks, I'm just not ready to tell everyone yet."

I nod and give El a smile even though my head is reeling. I can't believe that she didn't tell Mike. Her and Mike are basically dating. Why wouldn't she tell him? I can't help but steal a glance at Eleven. Her eyes are straight ahead focused on biking. What was she doing in Chicago? Why did she leave? And how? She didn't even know how to ride a bike until a couple weeks ago. 

"Hey Will?"

I'm pulled from my thoughts and catch Eleven's eye.

"Yeah?"

Eleven looks away, her curls covering part of her face and I can tell that Eleven is embarrassed. "Uh, thanks for keeping a secret. I know that friends don't lie to each other and I don't want to lie to them because Mike said that friends tell the truth-"

"Hey El, it's okay. Seriously. I understand. I kept secrets from them too." Eleven sighs with relief and her smile is grateful. 

"I feel better," Eleven says with a sigh and it looks like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. She runs a hand through her curls and starts pedaling faster. "I'll race ya!"

"What?" I ask confused as she takes off. "You got a head start!!" I immediately thrust my legs willing them to go faster to catch up with her. Eleven catches up with Dustin causing him to shout a few cuss words at Eleven. 

"Sorry!" Eleven yells back at Dustin when she almost runs him off the road. 

"Watch out Dustin!" I yell trying to get around him. I somehow get past him and weave in between Max and Lucas. 

We make the final turn onto Mike's street and I pump my legs even harder. Eleven isn't that far ahead of me so I have a chance. Eleven looks back at me and once she notices that I'm closing in on her she kicks it into high gear. I look in amazement as she increases the distance between us. I already thought she was going as fast as she could. Apparently not. 

"How are you so fast?" I don't know if Eleven can hear me but she laughs a loud laugh throwing her head back. I've never seen or heard her laugh like that before. A laugh emerges from me too and Eleven slows down as we come up to Mike's house. I don't know if Eleven is letting me catch up or is done racing but I start pedaling hard and plan to go right past her and win. Eleven doesn't realize what I'm doing until she sees my face. I know that I'm a dead giveaway. I can feel the stupid grin on my face as I bike right past her. I turn back to watch Eleven's face and then all of a sudden I am in the air. My bike flies out from under me and then I am lying on the grass within the same second. 

I can't control the laughter that erupts from my mouth as I lay there. I have to gasp for breaths as tears stream down my face. I somehow manage to find Eleven and she lays by the curb clutching her stomach laughing uncontrollably. 

"Did you see that?" I gasp out not really knowing if she can understand me. Eleven nods slowly still laughing. 

"Your...face!" I bust out laughing again thinking about how ridiculous my face must've looked as I was falling. 

"Oh my god! Will are you okay?!" Max comes to a stop once she reaches us her green eyes wide. "I saw you wipeout!" Max looks at both of us like were crazy as we roll on the grass laughing. 

"Wait, Eleven! You're bleeding!"

I look at Eleven and see some blood under her one nostril. 

"She used her powers on Will!" Dustin shouts with glee almost running into Max's bike. "I saw it!" 

Lucas pulls up next to Max gasping, "I saw it too! Will would've fell into the sidewalk if it wasn't for El!"

"That was awesome El!" Dustin exclaims throwing his bike on the ground. "I wish I had my video camera!"

I look at El as she quickly wipes the blood away. She notices me looking and rolls her eyes. "It was nothing. I just didn't want you to bust your head open." 

"Well thanks El-"

"What's going on here?" I turn and see Mike standing on his front porch with a confused look on his face. "Why are you guys on the ground?"

"You missed it Mike! Will was about to wipeout but El saved him from busting his head open on the sidewalk! It was awesome, Will was in the air and then-"

"I saw it too! It was in slow motion!"

"Yeah it was!" Dustin and Lucas high five in glee. Max rolls her eyes and helps Eleven get up. 

"Thanks Max."

"Are you okay El?" Mike walks over to Eleven and immediately picks up her bike. 

"Yeah I'm fine." Mike looks at Eleven curiously. 

"Wait, how did you end up on the ground?"

I start laughing again and Eleven has to hold back from laughing to answer Mike.

"We were racing and at first I was winning but then I slowed down and then Will got ahead but he turned around and his face was-" Mike watches El as she bellows out a laugh and throws her head back. I start laughing too and soon everyone is laughing because Eleven's laugh is so contagious.

Dustin smiles showing all of his teeth, "Wow El, I've never heard you laugh like that before!"

"Me either!" 

"Yeah I can't believe that sound came out of her body!"

Mike smiles at Eleven obviously amused by her contagious energy and Eleven eventually calms down enough to talk again.

"Sorry, it was just so funny," Eleven says wiping tears away. I chuckle and stand up brushing grass off my shorts. "Are you okay Will?" Eleven asks with a smirk on her face. 

I stick my tongue out at her as I pick my bike up. "I'm fine thanks." Eleven shakes her head at me and I can't help but notice that Mike has a weird look on his face. He looks at me suspiciously as Eleven brushes her clothes off. I quickly look away from Mike, not knowing how to react. 

"Alright everyone let's go play some D&D," Dustin yells throwing his fists in the air. I'm thankful that Dustin speaks up because the look that Mike was giving me, gave me the chills. What did I do?

Everyone starts running inside as I lay my bike in front of Mike's porch. I watch as Mike guides El inside protectively whispering quietly to her. She leans into Mike and whispers back. They really are in their own world when they are with each other. An unexpected sigh escapes from me as I follow behind my friends. I don't know what causes it but for some reason I don't think D&D will be as fun as it used to be. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment between Eleven and Will, while tutoring.

"So, like this?"

I pull my eyes from my book and Eleven's brown eyes meet mine anxiously. She holds up one of my old math books with her writing all over it. 

"Let me see," I take the book in my hands and scan Eleven's sloppy handwriting. After deciphering her answers, I hand it back smiling. "They're all correct."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, you're actually really good at math." Eleven shrugs but her eyes shine as she looks over her answers like they're the most wonderful thing she has ever seen. 

"I think that math is the only thing I'm good at." 

"That's probably not true. You haven't even had a chance to try the other subjects. All you need is practice El," I reassure her smiling slightly. Eleven sighs and lays down on her back staring at my artwork on the wall. I follow her gaze and find that she is looking at the drawing of a bird sitting on rocks looking out to the distance. I recently drew that and as soon as I hung it up in my room, Eleven noticed. She obviously really likes it, but I haven't brought myself to ask why she does. For some reason, it feels too personal. I don't even think that the drawing of the bird is that good. It isn't one of my best, in my opinion. 

"What are you thinking?" I ask, hoping she might mention the drawing. 

Eleven sighs and reluctantly pulls her eyes from the drawing. Her brown eyes are darker when they reach mine. "I feel...lost."

"Lost?"

Eleven nods and sits up straight. "I feel like...sometimes I don't know who I am. The more I learn things like math and reading...I just feel behind. I mean, I love learning but it feels like too much sometimes. I don't know. Sometimes I just feel...nothing. Like I'm numb, frozen." 

My eyes stay locked on Eleven as she struggles to find the right words. "Like the other day, I was with Mike. He was explaining birthdays to me and he was so excited-" Eleven stops abruptly. I wait patiently for her to continue. 

"And I wasn't excited or anything. And I wasn't upset or sad either. And I should be since I've never had a birthday or a birthday _party_ but-I was just..numb."

I watch Eleven closely and her words leave me speechless and overall, sad. I open my mouth to say something, anything but I can't form any words. 

Eleven looks up and notices that I'm grasping for something to say and smiles at me appreciatively. She joins me on my bed sitting across from me.

"You don't have to say something. Hop told me that sometimes silence is just as good as words." 

I nod grateful, "That's true." I sigh and put my book on the bed. I can't think of anything else to say. 

"This is my first time saying this all out loud." I look up at Eleven shocked and find a tiny smile on her face. 

"Why are you smiling?"

Her grin gets slightly bigger as her dark brown eyes meet mine. "It feels good to say it to someone. Hop and Mike always tell me that I should talk about my feelings more and my past but-" Eleven rolls her eyes and I can't but laugh. 

"I know what you mean. My mom wants me to pour my heart and soul out to her everyday. It's annoying."

"Exactly!" Eleven exclaims."Annoying..." Eleven says trying out the new word and she smirks. "Hop is kind of annoying."

An unexpected laugh escapes me and Eleven looks at me in surprise. "That's funny and probably true, but you probably shouldn't say that to him." 

Eleven nods understanding. "I won't." 

A silence stretches between us but it feels natural.

I look at the clock and it reads 7:48. Mike will be here soon to take Eleven back to the cabin. This has been the routine for a couple weeks now. Since Hopper works during the day, Eleven stays at my house every other day to hang out and do some tutoring. I was surprised when my mom told me that Eleven would be spending some days here. I originally thought that Eleven would stay at Mike's house but Hopper immediately said no to that. Mike was pissed for a week and couldn't even look me in the eye when he would come to get Eleven at 8pm. For a while, I was confused and baffled at why Mike was pissed at me. I didn't have a say in the arrangement at all. Eventually, Eleven noticed that things were tense between us and she explained to me that Mike was just mad because I got to spend more time with her. Which, of course, I already knew but still. It was annoying. I'm usually very understanding but it was ridiculous. I think that Eleven was slightly annoyed too but told me that Mike would eventually get over it. Which, eventually, he did.

I sigh, thinking back to that week, grateful that Mike got over it. 

"Are you okay?" Eleven asks her face full of concern. My face immediately heats up. 

"Oh yeah, sorry, I'm fine. I just get lost in my thoughts sometimes." 

Eleven nods. "I live in my thoughts." I smile at her and she flashes me a toothy grin. "At least that's what Hop says." 

"My mom says the same thing about me." 

Eleven smiles at me but then her face turns into something else. She turns back to the bird drawing and sighs.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, El." 

El fiddles with her fingers, something I notice she does a lot. I look at my folded hands that never move.

"Is it normal...to feel...numb? Like how I feel...sometimes." 

I think for a couple seconds but then nod reassuringly as Eleven's eyes bore into mine, growing larger. "You are unlike anyone El. None of us have gone through what you have. This is your first time being in an environment like this. You're learning things everyday. That is a lot to take in." I take a deep breath and think about my next words carefully. I don't want to get them wrong. 

"Learning can be overwhelming." Eleven's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Which means when something feels too strong or too much. Being overwhelmed could make you feel numb or frozen like how you feel. It would make sense. Everyone responds in different ways. Plus, given you're um past. It also makes sense." 

Eleven watches me intently, drinking it all in, her eyes deep and dark. 

"Now I know why they call you Will the Wise." Eleven says seriously and I duck my head blushing slightly.

"Thank you," Eleven whispers, reaching for my hand. I stare back with wide eyes. Eleven's warm hand stays on mine and it's comforting in a way that I can't explain. 

"Thank you for...this. I know I can be kind of...comp-li-cated," Eleven says slowly. I shake my head at her.

"You don't need to thank me. It's easy talking to you El. And you can tell me anything."

Eleven's eyes search mine and I don't know what she's looking for because she looks so...sure and confident. Like she just realized something in her head.

"I know Will."

"El!! Mike is here!"

At the sound of my mom's voice we both pull away and Eleven takes her hand off of mine. 

"Coming!" Eleven yells back, starting to pack up her things. Once El has everything we walk to the front door where Mike stands. His eyes are immediately on Eleven as we approach and they quietly exchange hellos. Mike and I nod at each other as El puts her shoes on. 

"I'll see you Friday Will," Eleven says giving me a smile. I smile back and wave.

"See you." I watch as Eleven takes Mike's outstretched hand and walk down the front steps. Mike starts asking her a bunch of questions and Eleven answers them enthusiastically. And for some reason, I watch them walk away hand in hand. Immediately, my mind goes to the drawing of the bird. I am the bird looking from afar. Looking onto the horizon at a boy and a girl. 

Looking. Always looking. 

When I can't see them anymore, I close the door and walk away. 


End file.
